If you have any questions about perennials and which plants would work well in your garden, please stop by Warner’s Nursery.
Although many perennials often live a long time, their life span is variable, and some may live for only three to five years. But even those without a long lifespan often propagate through reseeding.
One more positive benefit from planting perennials, particularly those that are native to our area, is that it creates a welcome habitat for pollinators and local wildlife.
Perennials offer an almost endless diversity in color and shape. You can plant them almost anywhere in your garden because there are perennials that love full sun and ones that are happier with shade.
Perennials also range in when they bloom, so with some strategic planting, you can have perennial color and beauty all season long. In addition, perennials are also quite versatile, equally suited to garden beds or containers.
Here are some of the many perennials you can use to grace your garden:
- In the sun-loving category, there is yarrow, hollyhock, dianthus, daylily, guara, shasta daisy, rudbeckia, gaillardia, echinacea, catmint, anise hyssop, penstemon, winecups, coreopsis, lupine, scabiosa, sedum, creeping thyme, veronica, gallium and delphinium
- For the shady parts of your garden, try hosta, heuchera, lamium, foxglove, columbine, vinca, campanula, myosotis, astilbe, dicentra (also known as fern-leaf bleeding heart) and brunnera.
The one thing all perennials share – in addition to coming back year after year – is that they need to be planted right to thrive. Here’s how:
- Dig a saucer-shaped hole that is twice the width of the root ball of your plant and equally as deep. (It is better to plant a little above ground level than too deep.)
- Amend your soil by mixing parts of the soil from the hole and a good planting mix (we recommend our own Supreme Planting Mix) and place some of this in the bottom of the hole.
- Water your plant thoroughly before gently removing it from its container. (Support the stem of the plant with one hand as you turn the pot upside down and tap the bottom of it, sliding the pot away from the plant. Don’t yank!)
- Tease out the roots of the plant gently.
- Place the plant into its hole and backfill with your pre-mixed soil.
- Water thoroughly with some Fertilome Root Stimulator to prevent transplant shock and promote vigorous root growth.
Once your perennial is planted, watering is vital. During that first week, water twice a day, then for the next two weeks, water once a day. After the first month, you should be fine watering every other day until winter, when you can water every three or so weeks during dormancy.
After the first year, your perennial will be fine with watering twice a week from spring through fall and once per month during winter.
One more thing to consider with perennials is that you might want to divide your plants periodically. Sometimes it’s because they’ve outgrown their space and are crowding other plants in your garden bed. Other times it’s to rejuvenate the plant because it’s not blooming as fully or because you are starting a new container or garden bed.
If you are dividing a perennial, pay attention to when it blooms. You’ll want to divide spring and summer blooming perennials in the fall, and fall blooming perennials in the spring, because if you divide the plant when it is not flowering, all of its energy can go to root and leaf growth.
If you have any questions about perennials and which plants would work well in your garden, please stop by Warner’s Nursery.
Happy gardening! FBN
By Misti Warner-Andersen
Misti Warner-Andersen is the manager of Warner’s Nursery & Landscape Co., located at 1101 E. Butler Ave. in Flagstaff. To contact Warner’s Nursery, call 928-774-1983.
